By James Moreland
December 31, 2011
Ashburn, VA
For the Washington Running Report

The Hogettes helped out in the fun run. They also noted that a race about hope would fit in nicely with the Washington Redskins.

This the third iteration of the Ringing in Hope races that began last New Year’s Eve. It was followed by an early summer rendition started just down the road. After having a 3K to accompany the main event 10K last year, the races moved to a more logical 5K-10K format.

This year the two races started together with the 5K racing one loop in reverse of last year and finding new ground. For the 10K which was run as an out and back prior, the course offered two loops with slight adjustment. In the final quarter mile of the 5K the 10K split off to circumnavigate the shopping center and surrounding neighborhood, while the 5K raced around the final two corners of the plaza to cross the ChronoTrack mats.

This made things easier than having 10K runners cross the mats twice. And as there were nearly 2,000 runners with the 1K fun run included, it was easier to score. Many of the participants chose to walk the 5K. Often with two distances runners decide to change their race afterwards and it does make scoring a little harder to do.

The really fast runners easily lapped the walkers and many of the 5K runners. A curious phenomenon of racing is that often slower runners make a brilliant burst of speed at the very end leaving one to wonder why it took them so long to finish. On the other hand the truly gifted artisans will ease up when they have verily achieved their victory.

Joshua Hardin, 20, of Sterling, VA started about seven seconds late but bolted past the leaders early. He coasted in the file half mile to win easily in 33:32. He trotted across the line in what one scorer called a “ten minute pace” and at first was thought to be a mid pack 5K finisher. He may have needed to slow to get past the multitude of 5K finishers as he was alone among the 10K runners. Doubters need only see his 32:23 overall win at the Leesburg 10K last August ahead of Seife Geletu who earned 23rd place in the Elite division of the Fall Runner Rankings. Aaron Church set the standard last year in 32:14 as well as winning the summer version in 33:02.

Jonathan Phillips, 19, was the runner-up in 34:49 and then three submasters battled for the third spot. Brian Szabos, 38, took command in the end with a pure 6:00 pace and 37:18 finish.

For the women, the standard was a very solid 30:24 in the summer by Sarah Bard and Anna Bernal had been tops a full year ago in 39:45. Today Melissa Saunders, 19, ran away from three ladies more than twice her age. Her nifty 41:00 even had her as the fifteenth 10K finisher of the day. Lisa Chilcote (left) has been a busy bee racing all around the region this year but usually just over the official border. In the fall she settled a bright colored flower at the Veterans Day 10K in 40:04 to earn the fifth masters spot in the rankings. It also made her the favorite today but not by much. Cathy Ross, 41, had run a very solid Richmond Half Marathon. Mandana Mortazavi, 48, had been used to ruling the Loudoun County races. These three did not begin to sort out until the second half of the race. Chilcote was runner-up in 41:39 on a reasonably flat course with a few deceptively tough hills. Ross was just a little way behind in 42:24 with Mortazavi cruising in with 43:05.

Ryan Hughes, 15, (left) battled three other runners for the 5K honors. His 17:08 is the second fastest time behind Axel Tarnvik, 18, who ran a 16:41 in the summer. Indeed the next 8 runners all bested the second fastest time of the summer. Last winter in the 3K only one runner beat 49-year-old Ted Poulos and his 10:55 and that was Tarnvik who ran 10:27.

Poulos, now 50, was sixth overall in 19:03 easily the top master as he enters his full first month as a grand master. For the year Poulos has run 170 races, just his tenth best yearly total. During one five- year stretch in the last decade he ran 1235 of his nearly 5000 career races. It has been many years since he has not had fifty overall wins in a year. This year his total is 64.

Just has in the summer the top three women included a record, with Amy Passeuer, 22, running 20:22 to reset the standard set by Karen Haddon in the summer, a teen with Jillian Stoddard, also faster than the old standard in 20:34, and a masters finisher. Cheryl Young, 42, just nipped Kathy Hoenig’s summer crown of 21:20 with a crown making 21:18.

For the seasoned runners, Alan Rider, 75, jovially promised a victory in the 10K. Then he had to run for his life to head off James Chapman for the title 57:14 to 57:38. Margaret Collie, 67 was the oldest female finisher, winning her division.

In the 5K Maynard Weyers, 75, (right) generally has his way and dominated in 27:45. Most likely Rider was a few strides behind him when they split directions at the 5K finish.

For the ladies, Lee Glassco, 80, was the beneficiary of expanded age groups of 80 & older for another victory. If you build the division, they will come. Barbara Potzick, 71, was lured out of racing retirement to give it a go. This was only her second event in five years. She predicted about forty minutes, and even running “easily to avoid injury” she finished in a marvelous 36:27. Now she is thinking about another race to earn a coveted spot in the Washington Running Report Winter Runner Rankings, which end the day before the 2012 St.Patrick’s Race in March.